Police investigate 26 deaths

Inquiries include four suspicious baby deaths

Of those, police classified 20 official homicide victims, four victims died in two of the investigations.

The suspicious deaths included shootings, fires and four baby deaths. The child deaths include those who were allegedly assaulted, sexually abused or burned by hot water.

Police also investigated two officer-involved shootings, one death that is still awaiting results and two original matters.

"It's a little high, but it fluctuates up and down from year to year," said coordinator Lt. Gary Trupe.

There were 18 investigations. They were all solved and only one suspect, Amador Lomeli, is still at large, Trupe said. A warrant was issued for his arrest on suspicion of murder.

Officer-involved shootings

The first of two officer-involved shootings occurred in Amarillo on Feb. 21 at Wal-Mart, 4215 S. Canyon Drive. Matthew Scott Carey, 24, was shot in the upper body by APD Officer Victor Del Fiero after Carey refused to back away from a fake gun.

Del Fiero fired two rounds at Carey hitting him in the upper body. The officer was cleared of any wrongdoing.

The second officer-involved shooting occurred Dec. 25 when Duane Schneider, 34, refused to stop after APD Corporals tried to detain him for having felony warrants. Schneider would not submit to arrest and failed to exit his car.

Schneider was struck in the leg by Cpl. Richard Ray with a Taser. Schneider then drove his car off and Cpl. Eddie Stallings fired a single shot at Schneider hitting him.

Meridian fire

A fire ravaged the Meridian Apartments, 2201 S.W. Sixth Ave. on April 19.

Dony Ray Ellis, 63, and Mary Jane Ellis, 59, died in the fire. The Ellises were found inside their apartment on the second floor of the two-story complex. The two may have died of smoke inhalation.

In all, the fire displaced 31 residents and the cause of the fire is still unknown. The Amarillo Fire Marshal's office is still investigating the deadly blaze.

Special Crimes is awaiting an arson review and determination from the Amarillo Fire Marshal's Office, Trupe said.

Until that comes back, no determination can be made about the fire.

No arrest was made on that fire, Trupe said. It's still the fire marshal's jurisdiction.

Original matters

Two other cases were presented as original matters, Trupe said. Those could fall under the new Castle Doctrine Law that took effect Sept. 1.

Trupe could not pinpoint an exact cause for the homicides.

"The causes are across the board, they happen for all different reasons," Trupe said. "There's no specifics for each one, there's always something different."

Special Crimes also cleared at least three cases from past years.

The cases were reopened and evidence and witness statements were looked over, Trupe said. Investigators brought closure to those cases, Trupe said. Or, they found evidence that was overlooked or was just brought to light.

Randall Sims, 47th District Attorney, said most of the 2007 homicides probably will not have made it through the court system. Eight cases from previous years were closed in 2007, he said.

Around the area

Area communities also experienced a few deaths in 2007.

Clovis, N.M, police investigated two homicides in 2007, said Police Chief Dan Blair. Officers also investigated three in 2006.

Chavez was thought to be the man responsible for Barker's death but was acquitted of murder charges June 7.

Homicide free

A few towns escaped 2007 without any homicides.

Dumas police did not investigate a homicide in 2007, said Chief Dale Alwan.

"We've been very fortunate," Alwan said.

Hereford police have also been fortunate, said Chief David Wagner. There hasn't been a homicide investigation in town since Feb. 25, 2001.

"The lords been really good to us. We knock on wood and give God all the glory," Wagner said.

Until this recent luck, Hereford P.D. would average one or two a year, Wagner said. There's quite a few officers here haven't had to work a homicide.

Canyon police did not investigate any homicides in 2007, said Chief Bobby Griffin. The last homicide occurred in 1998 when a man killed his estranged wife and then turned the gun on himself.

Suspicious deaths

Here's a look back at all the suspicious homicides in Amarillo.

Feb. 17 - Richard Wilber McKinley, 39, was stabbed near a home in the 3300 block of West Eighth Avenue. McKinley died later at Northwest Texas Hospital. Justin Samuel Noble, 19, of Amarillo, was arrested Feb. 18 after he turned himself in to Special Crimes. He reportedly confessed to stabbing McKinley. He is charged on suspicion of murder. The stabbing followed a fight in the 700 block of South Carolina. Witnesses saw Noble and an unidentified man chasing McKinley.

Feb. 21 - Matthew Scott Carey, 24, was shot by Amarillo police in the upper body at Wal-Mart, 4215 S. Canyon Drive. Carey later died at Northwest Texas Hospital from wounds he received. The APD received a call at 5:26 p.m. about a man with a gun at the store. APD Officer Victor Del Fiero arrived on scene at 5:33 p.m. Witnesses pointed out the armed man to Del Fiero. Carey gave indications he may surrender to Del Fiero, then Carey apparently ran and bent over to pick something up. Witnesses at the scene recalled hearing Del Fiero asking Carey to back away from the gun, but Carey still lunged for the weapon. Del Fiero then fired two rounds, hitting Carey in the upper body. Del Fiero was placed on three-day administrative leave and later cleared of any wrongdoing.

March 13 - Jonathan Henry McSmith, 17, was shot in the head at 80 N. Carolina St. McSmith died March 18 from the wounds. Jeromy Bristow, 17, of Amarillo, was arrested March 13 in connection with the shooting. He reportedly confessed to shooting McSmith and led officers to the weapon.

April 1 - Huong Rowlett, 63, of Amarillo, was stabbed after an apparent robbery at the B&B Food Store, 2701 S.E. 10th Ave. She died about an hour later from the stab wounds. Police received a 911 call about an injured woman in the store. Dewayne Paul Hindman, 19, of Amarillo was arrested April 9 on charges of capital murder. The Automated Fingerprint Identification System may have linked Hindman to the stabbing from a piece of evidence found at the scene. Police interviewed Hindman, received conflicting stories and later obtained a search warrant for the suspect's home. There, they found clothing items that linked him to the murder scene.

April 10 - Quionna Jones, 6 months, was taken to Northwest Texas Hospital from her apartment in the 5800 block of Wabash Street because she was not breathing. She was examined and found to be suffering from physical and sexual abuse. She died later that night. Devon Royal Jones, 21, was arrested and charged on suspicion of injury to a child. He admitted his daughter to the hospital. Special Crimes interviewed and later arrested him on those charges.

April 21 - Evyn William Vaughn, 14 months old, was found not breathing at his home in the Spring Terrace Apartments, 2600 S. Spring St. Vaughn was taken to Northwest Texas Hospital where he died early the next morning. Michael Wayne Garrard, 32, was arrested on suspicion of injury to a child. He was later charged in Potter County on two counts of injury to a child. Garrard called the boy's mother to tell her the child was spitting up blood and his eyes were rolling back. Vaughn was in the care of Garrard at the time. An autopsy later revealed an injury to the inside of Evyn's mouth, numerous bruises on his back and left leg along with recent bruising to his ears, scalp and fourth rib.

May 17 - Jayda Capree Ash, 20 months, was burned by water hotter than 135 degrees in the 8400 block of South San Antonio Drive. Ash died May 20 from injuries she sustained. Mario Lee Torres was arrested May 21 when he turned himself in to police. He is being held on charges of injury to a child in connection with Ash's death.

July 20 - Alberta Byars, 88, was allegedly assaulted in her home, 2011 N. Mirror St. Charles Hess, 44, apparently entered Byers' home, assaulted her and took item from her home. Byers died Oct. 8 at an Amarillo nursing home. Hess was arrested in the 2000 block of North Houston Street that day and was charged on suspicion of burglary with intent to commit aggravated assault.

Aug. 16 - Wayne Harvel Talbert, 53, of Amarillo was shot in the head Aug. 16 in the 90th block of North Bowyer. He died Aug. 19 from his injuries. Gary Ince, 55, was arrested about 15 minutes after the shooting in the 3200 block of Southwest Third on suspicion of public intoxication. After police interviewed him, he was charged on suspicion of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Aug. 17 - Henry H. Hernandez, 54, shot in the upper body at Buster's Lounge, 2204 S.E. 27th Ave. He was pronounced dead upon arrival to Northwest Texas Hospital. Amador Lujan Lomeli, 30, of Amarillo, is still at large from authorities. An arrest warrant for Lomeli was obtained charging murder and aggravated assault. Witnesses told police a fight ensued outside of the bar and Lomeli reportedly fired six shots into the crowd.

Aug. 28 - Felipe DeJesus Cuevas-Mata was shot multiple times after getting into an argument with another man. Both were traveling west on East Amarillo Boulevard and Cuevas-Matas GMC pickup ended up in a room at the Royal Inn, 2830 E. Amarillo Blvd. He later died at Northwest Texas Hospital. Several casings were found in the 3300 block of East Amarillo Boulevard, about five blocks east of the motel. Timothy Lee Gonzales, 21, of Amarillo was arrested that same night on suspicion of murder. The shooting appeared to be the end result of road rage. Police determined that both drivers were involved in a verbal argument near the intersection of East Amarillo Boulevard and North Grand Street.

Sept. 9 - Joseph Scott Diehl-Hart, 2 months, suffered injuries and was found not breathing in the 4400 block of East Interstate 40. He was taken to a hospital. Diehl-Hart died of his injuries Sept. 20. Joshua Scott Diehl, 19, was arrested Sept. 9 after being questioned by Special Crimes. He was charged on suspicion of injury to a child.

Sept. 11 - Ivan Thompson, 64, of Amarillo was stabbed at his apartment at 3601 W. 11th Ave. He died of wounds suffered. Jacquelyn Morrell, 27, of Amarillo was arrested Sept. 12 after officers found her at the apartment. She was arrested on suspicion of murder.

Oct. 7 - Calvin Farmer, 46, of Amarillo was shot in the lower torso after getting into an altercation with a neighbor in the 6800 block of Cleon Court. He later died at Northwest Texas Hospital from those wounds. The homeowner shot with a semi-automatic handgun after feeling threatened by Farmer. Farmer apparently confronted the homeowner about an issue involving Farmer's ex wife. The homeowner was questioned and later released pending further investigation. The case was presented to the 47th District Attorney's Office as an original matter.

Oct. 12 - Candice Tenise Herrera, 25, was shot and her body dumped at the city of Amarillo chipping site, 3718 S. Eastern St. Two men, Sebastion Roys, 25, and Steven Andrew Solis, 21, were each charged on suspicion of murder for the death of Herrera.

Nov. 29 - Monica Magallanes, 18, of Cactus, was shot in the head at a home at 603 S. Spring St. She died in the early morning hours Nov. 30 at Northwest Texas Hospital. She was shot by a man who was in the process of buying a handgun, While inspecting the gun, the man pulled the trigger and shot Magallanes. Alberto Martinez, 22, of Dumas, later admitted to police in writing he shot Magallanes.

Dec. 11 - Jorge I. Sarabia, 21, and Jorge H. Sarabia, 24, were shot in the upper body and head respectively at their home at 3509 S.E. 14th. Jorge H. Sarabia died from his wounds Dec. 12 at Northwest Texas Hospital. Elijio Christopher Zapata, 19, was arrested Dec. 17 in connection with the shooting. He has been charged in the 47th District on one count of aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury and one count of murder.

Dec. 13 - Christopher Fry, 38, was shot in the upper body at 200 S. Georgia St. Fry walked from the home and collapsed on the curb on the north side of the house in the 2700 block of West Second Avenue. The homeowner shot Fry because Fry was apparently assaulting the homeowner, who felt in fear of his life and his 2-year-old son's life. Fry appeared to have been in a physical altercation prior to knocking on the door at 200 S. Georgia. The two were arguing after Fry asked the homeowner about a dog, which the homeowner did not own. The homeowner was questioned by Special Crimes and later released pending further investigation. The case was presented to the 47th District Attorney's office for review by a grand jury.

Dec. 16 - Erik Mendoza, 31, was shot in the upper body in the 1000 Block of South Garfield. Mendoza was pronounced dead at Baptist St. Anthony Hospital later that morning. Daniel Stover, was seen walking away from the area. Officers found Stover hiding in a Dumpster and found a loaded revolver inside the Dumpster. Stover was arrested in connection with the shooting and charged with murder.

Dec. 21 - Justin Hobbs, 29, was shot in the head at 4:30 p.m. Dec. 21 in the 1400 block of Tennant Street. Hobbs died Dec. 23 after being taken off life support. Police arrested the owner of the house, Kenneth Balentine, 41, of Amarillo, on Dec. 21 on suspicion of aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury. A 911 call was made from a nearby Toot'n Totum Food Store. The shooting occurred near the back door of the house after an argument between the Hobbs and Balentine. A revolver was found at the scene. Police filed a criminal complaint for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon on Dec. 27.

Dec. 23 - Michael Beckworth, 30, and Joe Lee, no age given, were found dead in a townhome complex in the 2400 block of South Polk Street Dec. 23. Investigators thought Beckworth entered Lee's apartment and shot him multiple times in the upper body then shot himself in the head. Police believed Beckworth shot Lee because Lee was a friend of Beckworth's wife. Beckworth had issued threats to Lee in the past. Beckworth and his wife were recently separated but it was not known if divorce papers were filed. Beckworth was an associate pastor at Westover Fellowship Church in Amarillo.

Dec. 25 - Duane Schneider, 34, was shot by Amarillo police officers in the 300 block of South Independence Street about 8:30 a.m.. Schneider was pronounced dead at 9:11 a.m. by Justice of the Peace Nancy Bosquez at Northwest Texas Hospital. Police corporals Eddie Stallings and Richard Ray attempted to stop Schneider, who has felony warrants out of Potter and Randall counties. Schneider would not submit to arrest and would not exit his car. Ray struck Schneider in the leg with a Taser gun. Schneider then put his car into gear and rammed the two police cars several times that were blocking him. Stallings then fired a single shot at Schneider. Schneider's car then crashed into a house in the 300 block of Bellevue Street. Both officers will face a Potter County Grand Jury today.